The Five Most Expensive Stamps of All-Time

Stamp collecting has both benefited and suffered because of the Internet. On the one hand, it has become easier for stamp collectors to get together than ever before. On the other hand, the Internet is now used to send a huge percentage of the messages that were once sent via the postal service, meaning that there has been a huge fall in the number of stamps as well as the people who are exposed to the use of stamps. Still, while there are a lot of people out there who suspect that stamp collecting will wane in the time to come, its popularity in the present means that there are some very popular and thus very expensive stamps out there.

Here are five of the most expensive stamps to have ever been produced:

Baden 9 Kreuzer – 1 million Euros

The Baden 9 Kreuzer was a stamp issued by Baden, which was a German state that played a semi-important role in the German Unification of the 19th century. Regardless, the Baden 9 Kreuzer is notable because it was supposed to have been printed in pink but because of a mix-up with the Baden 6 Kreuzer that was supposed to be printed in green, there are some examples of the Baden 9 Kreuzer printed in green as well. To be exact, there are a total of four copies, which includes two that are on letters. Something that explains a fair amount about their value of about 1 million Euro per stamp.

British Guiana 1c Magenta – 9 million Euros

At one point in time under the British Empire, British colonies had to get their stamps from Britain. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was a system that led to problems, as shown by one time in 1856 when a delayed delivery forced the colonial government on British Guiana to issue their own stamps for the purpose of keeping the local mail system going. There is a single example of the British Guiana 1c Magenta that still exists in the present, which is why it has a value of 9 million Euros.

First Two Mauritius – 1 million Euros

The First Two Mauritius is notable because it was the first stamp of the British Commonwealth that was produced outside of Britain. Appearance-wise, it is not particularly exceptional, seeing as how it was patterned after the look of British-made stamps. However, its historical status combines with the fact that there are no more than 26 examples known to exist in modern times to make each one worth more than 1 million Euros.

Inverted Jenny – 750,000 Euros

Misprints are responsible for a lot of the most expensive stamps out there, with an excellent example being the Inverted Jenny that was issued in the United States in 1918. In short, the stamp depicted a stunt plane. However, an error resulted in a number of stamps being made with the image of the stunt plane being upside down. Naturally, the misprinted stamps were recalled, but enough managed to make it out to become notable. Moreover, the fact that there are no more than 100 examples of the Inverted Jenny ever printed explains why each one can fetch something along the lines of 750,000 Euros.

Treskilling Yellow – 2.1 million Euros

The Treskilling Yellow is another example of how a misprint can result in something expensive for the stamp collectors. In short, the stamp is supposed to have been printed in a blue-green color. However, the misprint caused it to come out in a shade of yellow, which was very noticeable. Naturally, this means that there has been a fair amount of interest in the Treskilling Yellow from stamp collectors. On top of this, it should be mentioned that the interest in the stamp has been fueled by the fact that no one than a single one of these stamps that known to have managed to make it to the present, meaning that there is a surprising amount of competition for it whenever it pops up at auctions. So far, the Treskilling Yellow has managed to bring in more than 2.1 million Euros. However, it is interesting in that it has shown up for sale on more than one occasion, with the result that its value has risen on each occasion. As a result, it will be interesting to see whether it will ever overtake those that are ahead of it at some point in the future.

About The Author

Nat Berman

Nat is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Uncoached Corporation and all its properties. His primary roles are managing editorial, business development, content development, online acquisitions, and operations.
Uncoached began in 2007 with one site and a goal of creating content that was clear, concise, worth reading, entertaining, and useful. Since then the portfolio has grown to 8 properties covering a wide array of verticals including business, personal finance, real estate, architecture, television, movies, entertainment, video games, lifestyle, pets, and more.
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